Verizon and Motorola announce the Droid RAZR MAXX, along with the Droid RAZR in purple

Verizon and Motorola have now taken the covers off some new additions to their DROID lineup and while all of them come to us from Motorola -- they kind of aren't really all that new.

Starting with the Motorola RAZR, it now comes in purple -- for those of you keeping track at home that means you can now get one in black, white and purple. Next in line is the Droid RAZR Maxx, which according to the press release past the break, is just a Motorola RAZR that happens to last longer then well, a Motorola RAZR:

DROID RAZR MAXX is designed for customers who spend their days and nights multi-tasking. This smartphone is a marathon runner with enough endurance to let customers talk on the phone for more than 21 hours straight on a single charge. It's the longest-lasting smartphone on the block, and at just 8.99 mm, the device is still impossibly thin. The DROID RAZR MAXX comes equipped with 32 GB of total memory and will be $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

After that, we have mention of the Droid XYBOARD tablets from Motorola -- again, nothing new here so needless to say, we're a little perplexed by this press release from Verizon and Motorola. The full press release can be found past the break for you all, it does mention ICS upgrades but no definitive timeline for those, in case you want to skip over reading it.

Verizon Wireless and Motorola Announce New Additions to DROID Family at CES 2012

New DROIDS and New Colors - Verizon Wireless and Motorola Have Something for Everyone

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 9, 2012 -- From the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. today announced an expansion of the DROID RAZR(TM) family. In coming weeks, customers will see the DROID RAZR(TM) by Motorola in Purple and the DROID RAZR(TM) MAXX(TM) by Motorola. Both new DROIDs are powered by America's fastest, most reliable 4G network and build upon the successful DROID RAZR by Motorola.

DROID RAZR - Thin, Powerful and now in Purple

DROID RAZR in Purple will debut in the coming weeks with 16 GB on-board memory and gives customers a third stylish option from which to choose. Regardless of color - classic Black, pristine White or Purple, the DROID RAZR is equipped with the same great features that let customers search the Web or download more than 300,000 Android Market(TM) apps at breakneck speeds on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. The DROID RAZR in Purple will be $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Taking DROID RAZR to the MAXX

The DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola will join the DROID family for customers who want all the great features of the DROID RAZR, but need a smartphone that overachieves. DROID RAZR MAXX is designed for customers who spend their days and nights multi-tasking. This smartphone is a marathon runner with enough endurance to let customers talk on the phone for more than 21 hours straight on a single charge. It's the longest-lasting smartphone on the block, and at just 8.99 mm, the device is still impossibly thin. The DROID RAZR MAXX comes equipped with 32 GB of total memory and will be $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

The DROID Family by Motorola Complete with Tablets

The DROID family also includes the two recently launched DROID XYBOARD tablets by Motorola. Both boast the blazing speeds of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network and the power of dual-core 1.2 GHz processors for lightning-fast Web browsing and multi-tasking. Customers can select what size XYBOARD they want to command by choosing either the 10.1-inch or 8.2-inch DROID.

Ice Cream Sandwich Update

DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX are powered by the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network and run on Android(TM) 2.3.5 Gingerbread, to be upgraded to Android(TM) 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The DROID XYBOARD tablets will also be upgraded to Android 4.0. Both DROID smartphones will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com in the coming weeks.

Additional Features and Smart Accessories

A full suite of accessories that extend the power of DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola are also available from Verizon Wireless. Accessories compatible with both DROIDs include the 10.1-inch Lapdock 100, 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro with built-in webcam and Ethernet connection, HD Dock, HD Station and vehicle navigation mount. Plus, each device has all the software needed to customize DROID RAZR or DROID RAZR MAXX to the fullest. Stream music, photos and videos from home or work computers straight to the smartphone with MotoCast(TM), or automate everyday tasks by creating rules using Smart Actions.

Data Plans

Customers that purchase a DROID RAZR or DROID RAZR MAXX will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data. Customers that purchase a DROID XYBOARD tablet will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband data plan starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com .

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com . To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia .

All talk and standby times are quoted in Digital Mode, and are approximate. Battery performance depends on network configuration, signal strength, operating temperature, features selected, and voice, data and other application usage patterns.

MOTOCAST supports many popular file formats and codecs. Additional software is necessary to enable use of unsupported files on your mobile phone. DRM-protected content is not supported. Respect the rights of copyright owners by only using MOTOCAST to stream and sync authorized content.

Reader comments

Verizon and Motorola announce the Droid RAZR MAXX, along with the Droid RAZR in purple

Damn people, Motorola can't keep you pricks happy. The phone is a 300 dollar handset, its gonna get a fucking ICS update, get over it. Ever thought they were still trying to make it work well with their phones? I would do anything to buy this phone, but I am happy with a Xperia PLAY.

First off ICS is suppose to be coming. Will it? who knows
Could care less about a "Locked boot loader"
And I heard the batter could be removed, maybe not like other phones but it was suppose to be replaceable..
it does have an SD card
its not the best screen in the world but its a Phone not a TV
and I really think its stupid to release all these phones, yeah they slowly get better but the millions that bought your "latest and greatest" 2 months ago are instantly PISSED..

How is Motorola leaving anyone in the dust by offering new Droids often? My X works like a charm. When I got bored, I stuck a new ROM on it for fun. But the rest of my family loves their X's. So what if I had bought the RAZR and the MAXX just came out? Seems to me I'd have decided to buy knowing full well that I couldn't remove the battery and would have to live with my situation. Is that somehow made better by them not making a MAXX for another year?

No Droid Razr buyer's remorse here. I love mine even after this news. Anyone with experience with tech. Knows this is paror the course. When I make a purchase I am well informed and satisfied with that products specs. I won't get caught up in the vicious cycle of trying to always be on the cutting edge. Otherwise I'll never be satisfied. That's no way to live. In this specific case I'm happy.

No Droid Razr buyer's remorse here. I love mine even after this news. Anyone with experience with tech. Knows this is paror the course. When I make a purchase I am well informed and satisfied with that products specs. I won't get caught up in the vicious cycle of trying to always be on the cutting edge. Otherwise I'll never be satisfied. That's no way to live. In this specific case I'm happy.

Wow ... after reading all these comments, I seem to be the only one that think this is a great phone. 3300 mAh alone deserves to be applauded. I like the looks of this phone better than the new Nexus. Battery life is my main concern with phones. Now, we just need to get Cyanogen 9 on it.

This is why I stick to phones like the Nexus line. Sure, they aren't the top of the line a few months later, but at least I don't have to worry about the manufacturer leaving me in the dust with 8 new phones every week.

If a Nexus doesn't come to Verizon again, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm never buying an OEM device ever again. I hate being at the mercy of these gigantic companies. I'd rather be in the hands of the developers: the people who bought the device as well and don't want it to be forgotten either. Case in point: Nexus phones.

Agreed! The Droid line used to mean something. It is now a joke. Razr Maxx?? Xyboard??? Droids 2,3, & 4 in just over a one year span? I'm glad CES announcements have sealed my faith and satisfaction in my Nexus purchase.

This is getting pretty ridiculous. The Skyrocket and the RAZR just came out in November/December and there is already an updated version? Add to that HTC coming out with a Titan II?

I think eventually smartphone companies are going to get some backlash for coming out with phones this quickly behind one another. Customers will get screwed over once companies decide not to invest in making cases and such for these phones because by the time they get in stores the 2nd iteration has been announced.

I think companies should give at least 6-9 months between releases. Say all you want about Apple but at least they don't come out with a phone every 2-3 months.

The new razr max doesn't have a sd card, I don't think. If that be the case I might go with the original razr. The battery life on the original razr is very good, the removable sd card is very important to some people and me. Going to have to investigate the exact specs, love choices, maybe this will force the original razr's price to drop about 100 bucks or so. Love Choices. Last year everyone was whining about no good phones, now they are great phones and keep coming and guess what, same people are still whining. Go Figure??????????

Rule #1 of android phones
If you buy the very most newest coolest android phone ever made at best buy, by the time you get home from the store it could very well be obsolete.

Seriously this happens with every single device, all of the manufacturers pump out phone after phone trying to best each others devices.
That's why I try to stay calm, not jump on new phones and wait to hear the reviews and bugs found in each phone, it only takes about a month of waiting to find out if it has any flaws you think are critical.

After the first month at the most, deal with the fact that your phone is no longer, the fastest phone, it's inevitable.

That was my initial thought, too. I mean, it's great to react to customer needs in a timely fashion and make sure that consumers have options and can get what they really want, but given that this is 2 months after the initial release, it seems clear that when the Droid RAZR was released, the Droid RAZR Maxx (not a good name, by the way) was already in production. Even if they couldn't have pushed up the Maxx for a simultaneous release, they could have at least provided the footnote that the Maxx was coming soon.
On a separate note, however, the introduction of the Droid RAZR Maxx may signal the beginning of a better era of smartphones, especially for us Android types. These phones are impossibly thin and light -- especially the Droid RAZR and any high end Samsung device -- but they have these pathetic batteries and giant screens. If you have a phone with a 4.5" screen (or larger), GPS, wifi, bluetooth, LTE, CDMA/HSPA, a dual core processor and a hundred apps running in the background 24/7, why wouldn't you sacrifice a couple of millimeters of thickness in order to have half-way decent battery life? That's the first thing I think about any time I hear about a phone that is thinner than 10 mm thick -- just make it 10 mm and put a real battery in that jont so I don't have to carry around 3 batteries every time I leave my house.